The Uchiha Conspiracy
by Iminir
Summary: In this twisted version of the popular manga Naruto not everything is as it seems: not all the heroes are as innocent as they first appeared and not all the villains are as evil as first believed. It seems even the dead have something to hide. [Spoilers]
1. Prologue: A Mid Summer's Eve

What would you do if everything you learned to hate had been the very thing you were fighting for? What if everything you thought was true turned out to be lies? In this twisted version of the popular manga _Naruto_ not everything is as it seems.

In this story, some of the villains turn out to be not quite as evil as everyone believed and some of the heroes have more to hide than at first glance. This fan fiction tells the tale of the thin line between good and evil and what some people would do to get on either side.

**Naruto**

_The Uchiha Conspiracy_

**Prologue. A Mid-Summer's Eve**

Late summer's eve in Kawa no Kuni was always on the verge of being pitch black. It rained constantly and it was always unusually cool, making it seem as though there never was such a season as summer. The rivers were swollen, flooding into the small villages and towns that scattered the countryside. There was hardly an inch of the small country that was not green or overcrowded with vegetation. Its borders were peaceful, uninhabited by any Hidden Villages or ninja academies. It was a farmer's country and was expected to remain that way for years to come.

That was why it was such an ideal location for the Akatsuki's base. No one ever would have guessed that an organization containing mostly S-ranked criminals would dwell in such a nation. It was the perfect place. Their location had remained undisturbed for so many years and none of them could have possibly suspected that they would ever be discovered.

Yet they had found it. Of all the Hidden Villages, it was Konohagakure that revealed their location. Most of the hideaway had been destroyed by the shinobi from Leaf and the Akatsuki had no choice but to search for a new place to call home. They had again chosen Kawa no Kuni to be their host with the hopes that the other villages would not predict it. They settled, this time, on an underground cave in the side of a small hill. It was hidden with shrubbery, mostly, and the mouth of the cave faced a river that was only a few feet away. It was practically in the middle of nowhere, with the closest town being over fifteen kilometers away. The chance of anyone finding it was even less likely than before and they did not even need any seals to conceal it. It was far more ideal that the cliff side cave they had chosen before.

"**It's when you let your guard down that they swarm in,"** Itachi muttered quietly. He sat on the hill just above the hideout and allowed the rain to soak into his clothes. The rain never bothered him much. He would rather spend time out there than inside the headquarters with the others. They were so unlike him he found it difficult to tolerate any of them for a long while – he even distanced himself from Kisame on occasions.

Perhaps it was not them at all. Perhaps it was him. They all seemed to get along well enough, even Hidan and Kakuzu; and those two were always plotting ways to kill each other.

"Do you always prefer to revel in your own company?"

The Uchiha glanced over his shoulder casually, catching sight of Zetsu's familiar form. If anyone in the Akatsuki was strange and unusual, Zetsu was the one. It was not the fact that he shared the appearance of a six-foot Venus Fly-trap, Itachi was all too used to exotic looks, but it was his personality. He was always quiet and obedient, watching every member's movements at all hours of the day and night. Whether he was assigned this task or he took pleasure in it was anyone's guess. He was good at it too. There were times when even Itachi was unaware he was stalking about.

"**I prefer my own than yours."** A slight smirk surfaced on the Uchiha's lips. They both knew he disliked the company of others. He much preferred to be alone when he was not partnered with Kisame for an assignment.

Zetsu nodded. Even on such a dark night as that one the yellow orbs of his eyes were almost plain in view. "I haven't come to make conversation, Itachi-san. Although I must say, I would have much preferred it on this occasion."

His eyes immediately fixed on Zetsu's. Whatever it was, it must have been serious.

"Ah," the Grass nin turned his gaze away for a moment, searching about the hilled plain. When his attention returned, his expression was completely blank of emotion as it always had been. "I received word from Otogakure not a day ago. Orochimaru plans to make a stand against Konohagakure." His voice abruptly dulled to a whisper, "Itachi-san, I believe he intends to make war."

It was almost as if it were planned. A lightning bolt crashed into the ground a mile or so away, setting off flames that were quickly put out by the heavy rain. Itachi would have believed it were part of Zetsu's speech, if only he were capable of such a feat.

"**That is quite unfortunate."** Itachi turned his focus back to the view ahead, his back facing the fellow Akatsuki member. He could hardly see a few feet in front of him with such a storm as the one they had that night, but he could make out enough vague shadows and silhouettes of the distant trees to be seemingly preoccupied with them.

"I should have figured coming to you would be no help. Deidara-san was right for once."

Itachi cocked an eyebrow at this and suddenly his dull black eyes were veered toward Zetsu again. He pushed back the soaked strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes. **"Oh? And what did you expect me to do about it? If Orochimaru strikes at Konohagakure, a war is more likely to start. That is what the Akatsuki wants, is it not? He would be doing half the work for us."**

"You and I both know that, at heart, our allegiances lie outside the Akatsuki. The Organization might want this, but we do not."

"**And what do you care whether or not Konoha is attacked, Zetsu-san?"**

Zetsu gestured in Konoha's general direction. "Konoha is allied with Kusagakure, my home village. They lose their protection if the nation of Fire is destroyed."

"**Are we getting sentimental?"** The smile returned to the Uchiha. He stood from his position on the ground and proceeded to walk past. **"I don't care if you still cling to ancient memories, my place is no longer with Konoha."** He was not sure where he was headed, just anywhere away from Zetsu. He made it half-way down the hill when Zetsu called out to him.

"Then where is your place, Itachi-san? It certainly isn't with Akatsuki."

The Uchiha lifted his gaze upward to Zetsu's shrouded features. His eyes wavered slightly, uncertainty one of the key features within them. He always hated that about Zetsu – his ability to read anybody with a simple glance. He made it that much harder to walk away from things, especially when Itachi knew he was right.

And this was one of those times when he was most certainly right.

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Kusagakure The Village Hidden in the Grass

Konohagakure The Village Hidden in the Leaves

Otogakure The Village Hidden in the Sound

Kawa no Kuni The Country of River

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A story written entirely out of boredom to the song _Watch the Sky for Me _by Powerman 5000. I had been playing around with this idea in multiple Naruto role-plays for about a year or so but I never really bothered to write it out. I'm afraid it's only the first draft so I haven't really edited it yet. I hope to continue this little fan-fic over the course of Summer Break.

Also, if you haven't figured it out already, the main characters' dialog is in bold. I just thought it always made it easier to figure out who was talking. Oh, and before you start asking, no, this is not one of those teenage angst fan fictions.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the prologue! Reviews are always appreciated and I hope to get the first chapter up within the next few days.

Iminir


	2. First Chapter: The Journey Begins

**First Chapter. The Journey Begins.**

"Cell Seven, I have asked you to come here because I am confident in your abilities. Your record is one of the most outstanding in Konoha, despite previous incidences."

The three ninja listened intently. Each of them stood side-by-side, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai, as they had many times before. It was becoming habit, like it had been when Sasuke was with them.

_Sasuke…_ Sakura tilted her head to the floor. How long had it been since he was part of their cell? Three years? They hadn't heard anything from him since their last encounter only a few weeks ago. He had fought against them, as if they were his enemies. He had _resisted _going back to them. If he continued on as he was, Sasuke was soon to become an enemy of Konoha. What would she do then?

"Sakura, pay attention." Tsunade's voice snapped her back into attention.

"**Sorry, Tsunade-sama." **She mumbled with her head facing the floor.

"Now, I need you three to be at your very best, alright? Normally I would have sent a Jounin squad for this sort of mission but as you know, we can't afford to reassign any of the higher ranked shinobi right now." She arose from her desk and walked around it, standing in front of the three shinobi. "You have to remember that Kawa no Kuni is a peaceful country. There are no Hidden Villages, so they might find you three a little strange at first. However, it is essential that you protect their boarders and the capital. A great deal of our supplies come from them and if they are cut off, well… Let's just say that could be very bad for us."

"So we're going without a cell leader?" Naruto cocked his head to the side, being his usual optimistic self. "I mean it's not like we can't handle this on our own, but-"

Tsunade cut him off, "No, Kakashi-san has told me that he will accompany you three. He plans to meet you at the Great Gates."

"Oh, great. Kakashi-sensei." Naruto placed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Something tells me it's going to be awhile before we leave."

"Speaking of which," it was Sai's turn to speak, "when are we expected in River?" He was calm as usual, rather vague of emotion in Sakura's opinion. But he had become a close ally since their first mission together.

"You will be leaving Konoha tomorrow at 08.00 hours and you will be expected in River late that night." She returned to her desk, straightening some of the papers that were piled on top of it. It was a hopeless cause; so many other documents were crumpled or lazily scattered across the table's surface. There was hardly an inch of clean space other than one of the corners on the far left. Everything else was a complete mess. "Assuming you don't have any more questions, you are dismissed."

Naruto and Sai filed out quietly, with Sakura following close behind. Just before she stepped outside the room, however, she was stopped.

"Sakura. Stay for a moment, please."

The young kunoichi sighed and turned around, closing the door behind her. **"Yes?"**

"Sakura," her tone of voice had suddenly become grave, like it had many times before when she was concerned. Sakura had an idea of what she was about to say. "I've noticed you have been acting rather… strange lately. You've seemed rather out of it the past few days. Is there something wrong?"

"**Oh, no."** What a lie. Sakura tried to support this little fib with a smile, but it turned out to be a rather weak one at that. **"I'm fine. I've just been a little tired, is all."**

The Hokage nodded sympathetically. "I can understand that. You three have been through a lot lately, with Sasuke still gone and-" They both knew that she had said the wrong thing. Naruto had been hit hard by Sasuke's disappearance, but Sakura had been absolutely crushed. Tsunade closed her eyes and for a moment Sakura almost thought that she was wishing she didn't say that. "Sakura, I'm sorry-"

"**No, there's no need. I'm pretty much over it by now." **Another lie. She was surprised Tsunade hadn't seen right through her yet. Or maybe she did, but decided not to say anything. Mentors were strange that way, always allowing their students to see their own mistakes before taking action.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"**Yes."**

"Alright. But you know," she leaned back in her chair as if repelled by the amount of paperwork on her desk, "if you ever need anything, you need only to ask."

She nodded her head in a slight bow before retreating to the door. **"Okay, I'll see you later, Tsunade-sama."**

-1-

Sakura walked home alone, only taking a small detour to speak with Ino at the flower shop. It was a quick visit, just a simple exchange of greetings and _how-are-yous _before she was off again. Naruto mustn't have noticed that Tsunade had called her back; otherwise he would have stayed behind and waited on her like he always did. It was strange, she almost felt dismayed that he wasn't waiting for her, as though that one moment might tear the team apart.

But Cell Seven had already been torn apart, hadn't it? And of all the people, it was Sasuke's fault. Ever since he had left for Orochimaru three years ago it felt as though their team was falling apart a little bit more every day. Places, people, everything seemed to remind her of back then. Back when they were a team. What had happened to Cell Seven?

It was that brother of his. Uchiha Itachi. If it weren't for him, Sasuke would have been with them still. They would have been a real team, not one with replacement teachers and members just to fill in the gaps. They would have been on their current mission together. It should have been Cell Seven: Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Not Naruto, Sakura, and whoever had the time to participate in the mission. It just wasn't right.

Why did it have to be their cell? Why couldn't another have had these problems instead of them? Why did it have to be them? Why did it have to be Sasuke?

She was surprised at how selfish she sounded. If it hadn't been their cell, whose would it have been? There was not a stranger cell than theirs, not another cell with histories like Sasuke's and Naruto's. Of the three she had been the one without her share of tragedies. She still had parents and friends and a place to call home. They had nothing.

When she entered into her house, Sakura found herself wishing she had the understanding back then that she had now. If she had only known, she was almost certain she could have made a difference. She could have understood Sasuke, she could have helped him. Or was it just hopeless wishing?

What if she was just as helpless now as she was back then? She dreaded the thought, but found herself forced to face it. She would be better off coming to grips with it sooner rather than later. There was hardly anything that changed about her. She was still the same old Sakura.

But she wasn't. She _had_ changed. There was so much she could do now that she couldn't do then. All those times in the past, during the battles in the Land of Waves, the Chuunin Exams, when Sasuke left, she felt so worthless. She felt that she couldn't do anything, at least, anything of worth to the rest of the team. She had always felt like she was letting the team down.

Not this time. She had learned so much from Tsunade; from medical jutsus to the super-strength that the Hokage possessed, she had learned it all over the past three years. No, this time she had talent. This time she would not be worthless. This time, they would realize how useful she could be. Even Sasuke would see it. If she had to, she would make them see it.

And then they would see who was worthless.

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Yeah, first chapter is up! And a little faster than I expected, too. _Hopefully_, I'll be able to get chapter two up tomorrow at the pace I'm going. -nodnod-

Notice hopefully is the key word.

If anyone was paying attention, Sakura's dialog is in bold. And, if anyone read the little comments at the bottom of the prologue, main characters have their dialog in bold. And what does this mean? That Sakura is a main character! I know what a lot of people are thinking, "Oh, God, not another 'OMG! Sasuke!' story. Kill me now." Don't worry, that is not what I intend. The only reason she is a main character is because I wanted at least _one_ important female in the story and she actually has some importance later on [yes, her rant about being useful actually comes true... but I won't say how.

Anyways, thank you for reading this! Any comments and criticism are, again, appreciated.

Iminir.


End file.
